The man in charge of the Taranaki Mountain Airs for the past three years, David Bublitz, said being overlooked for a fourth term with the team was disappointing.

"I thought I did a reasonable job and that we were heading in the right direction," he said. "I thought I interviewed well but Scott [Taranaki Basketball chairman Scott Taylor] and his panel decided they wanted Daryn [Daryn Shaw]."

Bublitz said he wished Shaw well.

"He played for a lot of years and he knows the league. Hopefully he will do a good job."

Bublitz said he'd had a promotion at work (to year 13 dean at New Plymouth Boys' High School) and that would take up a lot of his time, so it was a little bit of a blessing he didn't get the coaching job.

"I'll definitely stay involved in basketball. I'll focus my coaching energies on the young guys at Boys' High and help develop basketball in the school," he said. "I love seeing young guys succeed and getting better in the sport."